This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7xc2xa7119 and/or 365 to 00201630.1 filed in Europe on May 4, 2000; and 00201693.9 filed in Europe on May 11, 2000; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to the use of multifunctional aldehyde-containing polymers as temporary wet strength agents for paper and tissue applications, as well as non-wovens.
Wet strength is an important characteristic of paper and tissue products, and in non-woven products. Wet strength of such products can be increased by using wet strength additives. The most widely used wet strength additives for the paper industry are melamine-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde. There is a tendency, however, to move away from such oil-based chemicals, because they are not renewable and have a poor biodegradability. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is currently used in combination with PAE (polyamino-amide epichlorohydrin) as a wet strength agent (see Espy, TAPPI Journal, 78, 90 (1995)). However, CMC is also partly dependent on oil-based materials (monochloroacetic acid) and, moreover, is a rather expensive material.
Oxidized celluloses have the advantage of being accessible from renewable raw materials only and possibly of being less expensive than CMC, while they may have comparable properties to CMC. However, the oxidation of cellulose is hampered by the poor solubility of cellulose, making it insufficiently accessible to oxidizing agents.
Aldehyde functions have been recognized as being useful in binding cellulose fibers, to improve wet strength of the fibers. Thus, dialdehyde starch (TAPPI, 57, 81 (1974); and TAPPI 45, 750 (1962)) and dialdehyde guar and the like (WO 97/36054) have been proposed as paper wet strength additives. U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,852 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,032 disclose cationic dialdehyde starch, obtained by reacting dialdehyde starch with betaine hydrazide, to be used as a paper strengthening additive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,383 discloses the use of anionic compounds, such as sulfato-ethylamino-halotriazines, for providing the cellulose surface with additional anionic sites suitable for retaining a high proportion of cationic wet strength additives such as PAE resin on the cellulose.
WO 99/23117 and WO 99/23240 describe the oxidation of cellulose and starch, respectively, with TEMPO and an oxidative enzyme (laccase) and oxygen at pH 4-9 resulting in products containing low levels of carbaldehyde and carboxyl groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,193 describes the oxidation of starch with bromite or hypobromite, which results in varying levels of carbonyl (ketonic) and carboxyl groups depending on the oxidation conditions, with a carbonyl/carboxyl ratio of between 2:1 and 8:1. The oxidation products are stated to be suitable as paper strength additives. The oxidation of starch with sodium hypochlorite is believed first to yield keto groups. In a later stage of oxidation aldehyde groups may be formed. The mechanism postulated by Whistler (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 79, 6460 (1957), see also PhD thesis of Floor, Delft University of Technology, 1989) however states that a diketo group is formed, which decomposes with OHxe2x80x94 and is oxidized. One has to assume that hypobromite reacts in an analogous way. A recent publication of Deary and Davies in Carbohydr. Research 309, 17-29 (1998) reviews the bromine oxidation and confirms that keto groups are the primary products from bromine oxidation. From their experiments with xcex1-cyclodextrins they conclude also that the keto product is formed. They present no evidence for the formation of aldehydes. Also, Torneport et al (Starch 42, 413-417 (1990)) and Salomonsson et al (Carbohydrate Res. 217 (1991)) state that oxidation of starch with bromine species (Br2:CH=1/40 to 1/1) at: pH 7 results in keto groups and carboxylic acids, It is known that higher pH""s lead to higher carboxylate contents.
It was found that multifunctional polymers, especially biopolymers, having both aldehyde functions and carboxylic acid and/or other anionic functions, the ratio between aldehyde functions and anionic functions (hereafter referred to as A/C ratio) being at least 0.75:1, preferably at least 2:1, up to about 15:1, preferably up to 10:1, are very useful as wet strength additives. These polymers are excellent substitutes for known wet strength agents such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and dialdehyde starch because of their better ecological acceptability (degradability) and their improved water-solubility and thus better accessibility to further reagents, and an improved functionality.
The polymers to be used can be of a synthetic type, such as a copolymer of acrylic acid and acrolein, a copolymer of maleic acid and maleic (mono)aldehyde, appropriately modified polyvinyl alcohol or appropriately (aldehyde-)substituted polyacrylic acid or the like, having the desired level of aldehyde groups and the desired A/C ratio.
It is preferred, however, that the polymer is a biopolymer. Suitable biopolymers include (modified) peptides and proteins, proteoglycans and in particular polysaccharide-types of polymer. Examples of polysaccharides include xcex1-1,4-glucans (the xe2x80x9cstarch familyxe2x80x9d, including amylose, amylopectin, dextrins and cyclodextrins), xcex1-1,6-glucans (dextran) and mixed xcex1-glucans such as pullulan, xcex2-1,4-glucans (cellulose), xcex2-1,3-glucans such as scleroglucan and curdlan, xyloglucans, glucomannans and galactomannans (guar and locust bean gum), other gums including heterogeneous gums like xanthan, ghatti, carrageenans, alginates, pectin, (arabino)xylans (hemicellulose), xcex2-2,1- and xcex2-2,6-fructans (inulin and levan), etc. The biopolymers may also be synthetically modified.
The simultaneous presence of aldehyde and anionic, such as carboxyl (xe2x80x94CO2H), sulfo (xe2x80x94SO3H) and phosphono (xe2x80x94PO3H2) groups, can be achieved by various methods. These methods comprise:
(1) introduction of anionic groups by addition, followed by introduction of aldehyde functions, e.g. by oxidation; here, the anionic groups such as carboxyl groups or other acid groups may be introduced e.g. by carboxyalkylation, sulfatation, sulfoalkylation, phosphatation, or the like, or they may be present in polymers which already have added acid groups by biosynthesis such as sulfate groups in carrageenans; the aldehyde functions can be introduced e.g. by oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxyethylene groups (such as those at the 2,3-position of 1,4-linked or 1,6-linked glucans) using periodate-type oxidizing agents, or by partial oxidation of hydroxymethyl groups (such as those at the 6-position of 1,4-linked or 1,3-linked glucans) using nitric oxide (NOx) types of oxidizing agents;
(2) introduction of carboxyl groups by oxidation of hydroxymethyl groups followed by introduction of aldehyde functions by oxidation as under (1); here, the carboxyl (anionic) groups are introduced by oxidation of the hydroxymethyl groups, such as those at the 6-position of 1,4-linked or 1,3-linked glucans, using NOx-type of oxidizing agents, or they may be present in polymers already containing 6-carboxyl groups by biosynthesis, if necessary after hydrolysis of ester groups, such as pectins, xanthans and alginates; the aldehyde groups can again be introduced e.g. by oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxyethylene groups, or by partial oxidation of further hydroxymethyl groups;
(3) controlled oxidation of hydroxymethyl groups (such as those at the 6-position of 1,4-linked or 1,3-linked glucans) so as to partly convert them to aldehyde functions and to convert only a (minor) part of the aldehyde functions so obtained to carboxyl functions;
(4) introduction of aldehyde groups, e.g. by oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxyethylene groups (such as those at the 2,3-position of 1,4-linked or 1,6-linked glucans) using periodate-type oxidizing agents, followed by partial further oxidation thereof to carboxyl groups using different oxidizing agents such chlorite or bromine;
(5) introduction of (protected) aldehyde groups (e.g. furan acetals) by etherification, e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,162 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,804, followed by introduction of carboxymethyl groups.
Further combinations of partial reaction steps as described above are also contemplated.
The individual reaction steps referred to above are known in the art. Carboxy-methylation of polysaccharides is also widely used in the art, and is commonly performed using sodium monochloroacetate in alkaline medium or by hydroxyalkylation (e.g. with ethylene oxide) followed by catalytic oxidation. Other carboxyalkylation, such as carboxy-ethylation, can be accomplished by base-catalyzed addition of acrylamide followed by hydrolysis, or by addition of succinic or maleic or other anhydride, etc. Sulfate and sulfo groups can be introduced by reaction with sulfuric acid derivatives such as chlorosulfonic acid or with vinylsulfonic acid or taurine analogues. Phosphorylation can be achieved by reaction with phosphoric acid or its derivatives or with haloalkyl-phosphonic acids,
Also, oxidation of 1,2-dihydroxyethylene groups in the recurring units of polysaccharides is extensively known, and can be performed with periodate or similar polyoxyanions, resulting in Cxe2x80x94C bond scission according to the equation:
xe2x80x94CHOHxe2x80x94CHOHxe2x80x94xe2x86x92xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90O+Oxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94
and thus to opening of the cyclic anhydromonosaccharide unit. These products are usually referred to as xe2x80x9cdialdehyde carbohydratesxe2x80x9d such as dialdehyde starch (DAS) and dialdehyde inulin (DAI).
The partial further oxidation of these dialdehyde carbohydrates can be accomplished, e.g. with sodium chlorite with or without hydrogen peroxide, the molar amount of chlorite, with respect to the dialdehyde product, determining the carboxyl content of the final product.
A particularly advantageous method of further oxidizing dialdehyde carbohydrates in a partial and controlled manner is described in PCT/NL99/00673 (WO00/26257, published May 11, 2000) and proceeds by reacting the dialdehyde product with a catalytic amount of halogen, such as chlorine, iodine and especially bromine. Halogen is regenerated in situ by oxidation with an oxidizing agent. Sodium hypochlorite can be used for the (re)generation of the molecular halogen, but preference is given to peracids. The catalytic amount of molecular halogen may be 0.2-40, preferably from 1 to 10 mole %, with respect to the amount of peracid. The peracid may be any peralkanoic acid such as peracetic acid, perpropionic acid, perlauric acid etc., a substituted peralkanoic acid such as peroxy-trifluoroacetic acid, an optionally substituted aromatic peracid such as perbenzoic acid or m-chloroperbenzoic acid, or an inorganic peracid such as perboric or persulfuric acid. The molar amount of oxidizing agent (e.g. peracid) with respect to the dialdehyde product, determines the carboxyl content of the final product.
This method, besides reducing the amount of halide produced, is also beneficial to the properties of the partially oxidized products, in particular as to a more regular distribution of carboxyl and aldehyde groups. In addition, this method is cheaper than the oxidation with sodium chlorite in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and produces less halide waste.
The selective oxidation of hydroxymethyl groups (i.e. primary hydroxyl functions) to aldehyde and/or carboxyl functions has been known for several years. Nitric. oxides, i.e, nitrogen dioxide and dinitrogen tetroxide or nitrite/nitrate are known in the art as suitable oxidizing agents for these oxidations, as described e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,200 and NL patent application 93.01172 and by Painter, Carbohydrate Research 55, 950193 (1977) and ibid. 140, 61-68 (1985). This oxidation may be performed in an apolar, e.g. halogenated, solvent, or in an aqueous solvents, such as phosphoric acid.
A preferred reagent for the selective oxidation of hydroxymethyl groups is constituted by nitroxyl compounds, such as TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-N-oxide) and related compounds such as 2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-N-oxyl, 2,2,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-N-oxyl, and 4-hydroxy TEMPO and derivatives thereof such as the 4-phosphonooxy, 4-acetoxy, 4-benzoyloxy, 4-oxo, 4-amino, 4-acetamino, 4-maleimido, 4-isothiocyanato, 4-cyano and 4-carboxy TEMPO. TEMPO is used in these reactions as a catalyst (e.g. using 0.1-25 mol % with respect to final oxidizing agent) in the presence of a final oxidizing agent such as hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide. TEMPO oxidation has been described e.g. in WO 95/07303. Further intermediate oxidants such as metal complexes (see PCT/NL00/00118=WO 00/50388), enzymes such as laccase or peroxidases (see WO 99/23240 and WO 99/23117 and PCT/NL00/00117=WO 00/50621) can be used. Examples of metal complexes are complexes of a transition metal such as manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, vanadium or ruthenium, with a complexing agent, especially nitrogen-containing compound such as a bipyridyl, a trimethyl-triazonane or other poly(tertiary amine) or a (poly)histidine; such metal complexes can be used in an amount of 1-25 mol % with respect to the number a aldehyde or carboxyl groups desired. The actual oxidizing species in the TEMPO-mediated oxidations is believed to be the nitrosonium ion. The A/C ratio can be controlled by selecting appropriate conditions: aldehyde formation is favored at low temperatures (0-20xc2x0 C.) and at relatively low pH (3-7) and by controlled addition and/or low levels of oxidizing agent.
The anionic groups in the products thus obtained may be free carboxyl, sulfo or phosphono groups (acid form) or may be in the salt form, e.g. with sodium, potassium, ammonium or substituted ammonium as the counter cation. The aldehyde- and acid-containing products have at least 5 aldehyde groups, especially at least 10 aldehyde groups, and at least 1 anionic group, especially at least 3 anionic groups, such as carboxyl groups, per molecule, also depending on the molecular weight (degree of polymerization, DP). Thus, for smaller molecules, e.g. having a molecular weight below 3,000, the number of aldehyde groups per molecule may be lower, e.g. at least one per 600 Da, with a minimum of 2. The degree of substitution (DS) for aldehyde groups is preferably between 5 and 98% of the maximum value, more preferably between 25 and 75%, As the maximum number of aldehyde groups in most oxidized polysaccharides is 3 per recurring (monosaccharide) unit, the DS expressed in number of substituent groups per recurring unit is at least 0.10, preferably between 0.15 and 2.95, more preferably between 0.25 and 2.25). The DS for anionic groups, especially carboxylic groups, is preferably between 0.03 and 1.0, more preferably between 0.05 and 0.4 per recurring unit.
If desired for the purpose of enhancing vet strength, the multifunctional product can be further chemically modified. A particularly suitable derivative is a product also containing cationic groups. Such cationic groups can be introduced by reacting a part of the aldehyde groups with an amine, hydrazine, hydrazide or the like, optionally under reductive conditions, or by reacting, at some stage during the production, saccharidic hydroxyl groups with ammonium-containing reagents such as trimethylammonio-alkyl halides or epoxides. These multifunctional cationic compounds contain at least 0.01 up to about 0.50 cationic groups per recurring unit, preferably from 0.02 to 0.25 cationic groups per recurring unit; they are also part of the invention.
Alternatively, the aldehyde-anionic polymers can be combined with separate cationic compounds such as, for example, cationic polysaccharides, in particular cationic DAS, or with other conventional cationic wet strength agents such as PEI (polyethyleneimine) or PAE, to produce a composite wet-strength agent. The weight ratio between the aldehyde/anionic polymer and the cationic compound can be e.g. from 90:10 to 10:90, especially from 75:25 to 15:85. Such composite wet strength agents are a distinct embodiment of the invention.
The aldehyde-containing anionic polymers can be combined, usually as aqueous solutions or dispersions with cellulosic fibres in a manner known for the application of wet strength agents. The amount of agent is preferably between 0.1 and 4% by weight, especially between 0.2 and 2% by weight, with respect to the cellulosic fibre. If desired, cationic wet strength agents can be applied subsequently followed by drying the fibre web. Addition of a cationic polymer is usually necessary for multifunctional derivatives that do not themselves contain cationic groups, because otherwise there would insufficient absorption of the derivative to the fibre. Further alternate layering with aldehyde-containing anionic polymer and cationic polymer can also be advantageous.